


Not perfect without you.

by PleaseLetMeExist



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Mermista, BAMF Sea Hawk, Canon Compliant, Canon Temporary Character Death, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mermista's dad appears, Portal reality, Rated T for swearing, Seamista-centric, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 3 Spoilers, Swearing, Temporary Character Death, first fic, meremista's dad is the worst., please help, seamista - Freeform, so does her mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26845858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PleaseLetMeExist/pseuds/PleaseLetMeExist
Summary: my headcanon about what happened in season 3 episode 6 with Mermista and Sea Hawk since SEAHAWK DIDN'T APPEAR AT ALL IN THE ENTIRETY OF SEASON 3??!!!
Relationships: Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 14





	1. In a perfect world.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, not that it really matters to you. I think Sea Hawk is in desperate need of more screen time, and so I'm giving it to him.
> 
> By the way, I have name headcanons for certain characters in the series.
> 
> Mermista's dad- River Salineas
> 
> Mermista's mom- Marina Salineas.
> 
> Sea Hawk- Sebastian Hawks.

Mermista awoke with a start. Everything felt wrong. Her mind was foggy and she couldn't process her surroundings. But amidst the blurry setting she saw her... father? Yup, his dark skin and jet black hair along with his piercing blue eyes make him easily recognizable. But shouldn't he be retired? No, that... that's not right. 'He's waiting until I get married to retire with... someone...' she thought, rubbing her temple. 

"Get up Mermista! It's almost noon. Meet me in the dining room in approximately fifteen minutes." There was no room for discussion with him. There rarely is. The fifteen minutes she was given helped to clear her head. She know today is important, she just can't remember why. She dressed for the occasion so her father wouldn't reprimand her. A cyan and gold v-neck mermaid's tail dress, for the unsaid pun, thoughtlessly tying her hair into her usual braid before entering the dining room. She spotted her father, scowling at her from the head of the table. 

"UGHHHH, what do you waaaannt?" she groaned in her usual Mermista fashion. His scowl deepened even further.  
"It is not what I want, but what your mother wants." That shut her up immediately.

But her mom is supposed to be -uh- is supposed to be... something. An image flashed through her mind. People wearing TONS of black, crying and a gravestone. She shook it off, attributing it to sleep deprivation. Her mom always told her not to stay up so late reading those mer-mystery novels. But who was she to deny the calls of ocean themed murders? Right on cue, her mother came bursting into the room, her hands filled with paper. She slammed them onto the dining table, completely disregarding her husband. Her soft brown eyes and waist-length ocean blue hair made her feel nostalgic and... sad, for some reason. The same image as before went through her mind, but more defined than before. 

"MISTY, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOUR WEDDING IS IN 3 DAYS! WE HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!!" She yelled with part excitement, part nerves. wait... WEDDING? That sounded all wrong, who would she even be marrying? Another image flashed through her mind, different this time. A cute guy in a... pirate's outfit? 

"Wedding?" She said, accidently voicing her concerns. Her mother sighed fondly.  
"I know you aren't to fond of Calder, but you shouldn't pretend that you aren't even marrying the guy!" She said with a barely-concealed chuckle. Gods, she loved her mom. Oh yeah, Calder, that self-righteous PRICK. She really DESPISED him, y'know. Mermista groaned loudly. Marina sighed sympathetically. "I know darling, it's not ideal, but it means your father and I can retire and you can finally take the throne! Besides, you can always get remarried to someone less," she eyed her father. "Calder. Besides, you'll get to have a whole wedding. It'll all work out perfectly." 

Yeah, everything's perfect.


	2. Should be perfection.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista is mostly filled in on this new, "perfect" world, except she's missing one, important detail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mermista's mom is chill. The only reason she married River was to save her kingdom. He sucks, personality wise.

After her father left them to their "girly shit or whatever" Mermista's memories of this reality came back to her, and apparently, even with a month's notice of the wedding, she still hadn't even finished half of the planning. Normally, Mermista would even go as far as to plan weddings in her spare time, but Calder just sucks so much she borderline refused to do it. 

"Ugghhh, I hate flowers!" Whined her mother, using Mermista's trademark groan. "You've always had an amazing instinct about these things, sooooo, orchids or sunflowers?" Her mother pleaded. Whenever Marina wanted something from her, she'd make sure to stroke Mermista's ego. For some reason that old trick brought sorrow and a slight sense of nostalgia to Mermista. She loved her mother with all her heart, so why was being with her to plan something as festal as a wedding brining her nothing but sadness? Why is there a constant nagging at the back of her head telling her she should be marrying someone else and that planning it with her mother was even weirder. 

But, the calming complacency always pulled her back in. After all, why would she want to question her perfect reality? Well, not everything was entirely perfect. The Horde was still attacking and Cal was the worst, but everything else was great! Besides, Salineas was peaceful, the sea gate has held up for decades after all. Honestly, Thaymor was the only one actually struggling right now, and that was WAY outside their borders. And it's like her mother said before, she could always remarry. The only reason she chose Calder over her other potential suitors was because he was the first semi-attractive guy she saw, and she REALLY didn't want to go through the speeches each of them had prepared. They were like, SOOOO pathetic. Maybe one day she'll have enough power and respect to marry those viewed as commoners. Way better than those spoiled brats that were only in power thanks to their blood.

"Orchids, OBVIOUSLY, mom! Sunflowers aren't wedding flowers, they only stifle my creativity." At that last phrase another of those not-memory-memories appeared. It was at a ceremony... a coronation? She was yelling at someone, telling her not to stifle her creativity while arranging flowers. The similarities unsettled her. She shook it off, hyper focusing on the potential colour schemes of placemats.  
"You alright Misty? You seem upset." Of course, she always knew when Mermista was upset.  
"Yeah, I think I'm alright, maybe I'm sick or somethin'. Everything just feels..." She trails off a bit. It wasn't exactly the easiest feeling to describe. "just, off." Mermista always hated being vague, but it was just so confusing! Everything was fine, perfect, really! So why did she keep trying to convince herself it wasn't?

Her mother just smiled. "You sleep so late, it's probably just sleep deprivation. Nothing's wrong, everything's perfect!" She said plainly, calm smile never once leaving her face. Gods, Mermista wanted that to be true so desperately, but somewhere deep down, she knew it just didn't work like that. But her mother was back to planning, so Mermista should just get over it, right? "Misty darling, this is such a huge event, there are even people from outside the Salinean border coming here!" She said it with such excitement in her voice, but she knew for a fact that was a bad thing.

"Wait, doesn't that mean we'll have to bring down the sea gate? That's the only thing keeping us protected!" Gods, no wedding was worth risking the safety of her family and people. Her mother only let out a half-scoff, half-laugh in return. Mermista raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Honey, it's only for a day. It's not like someone's just going to attack Salineas on a whim." Her mother explained. "Besides, the kingdoms have been at peace for years!"  
"Yeah, the KINGDOMS have been at peace, but The Horde is going to attack as soon as they spot a weakness!" Mermista shouted in return. She wasn't actually mad at her mother, but it's better to demonstrate anger than fear. 

Marina pauses. Mermista feels a pang of guilt rise up. She shouldn't have yelled at her. She knows her mother was just as dedicated to taking down The Horde for good as she is. They killed her after all. Wait... killed? The fact that the thought seemed normal to her sickened her. Why would thinking about The Horde killing her mother ever be normal to her. She shook the thought from her mind. 'everything'sperfect'everything'sperfecteverything'sperfect!' Only when she repressed her thoughts and focused on her mother did she realize the look on her mother's wasn't one of anger, hurt, or even disappointment, but confusion/

"Misty darling, what in the world are you talking about? Who's "The Horde"? That seems like a ridiculous name. You've been reading to many of those murder mystery novels." And for once in her life, Mermista was left completely speeches. She didn't feel like talking about the wonders of the mer-mystery novels. She searched her normal memories for The Horde, but found nothing. So how in the hell does she remember fighting so vividly against them with a pirate in a blue jacket in her other memories?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finished this chapter, obviously. I'll probably update every day, but I'm rather inconsistent. It almost definitely won't be more than a week. Grammatical corrections and constructive criticism (positive or negative) are always welcome! Thanks for reading <3.


	3. Room for perfection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I really didn't expect anyone to read this, much less actually enjoy it??? Anyway, that really made my day. I was ranting about how happy that made me to my sister. I think she's sick of my writing on here by now. Please tell me if I make a grammatical error.

Where did The Horde go? Did they even exist in the first place? No, they definitely didn't. But at the same time Mermista was certain that she had faced them many times. 'Just not in this lifetime.' She thought. No, no, that's insane. This was the only lifetime there is. Mermista never believed in alternate timelines before, why should she start believing in that stuff now? Just when everything was going to be perfect! Why does it seem like she's actively trying to sabotage herself! Countless new images flash through her mind. Flowers, ice, robots, the sea gate, her mother, and most notably an 8-foot tall lady with awesome hair. She couldn't focus on the planning anymore. She couldn't focus on anything. Her head felt like it was on the brink of exploding. Closing her eyes was the only thing that brought her any sort of relief! Nothing made sense anymore. Not her mother or father, not her home, and especially not this STUPID wedding! Gods, she wanted this to be real so badly, but it just didn't feel real. Everything felt wrong. Why couldn't things just be perfect for her without any strings attached? Why couldn't the universe just let her be happy? Why did her chair feel... like... rocks? 

Okay, well that was just weird. All the chairs in the kingdom were made with the finest of materials! And it wasn't supposed to be so cold in here. She finally opened her eyes. The pain had passed after all. And she was surrounded by seawater. Because the world hadn't fucked with her enough. 

And of course, her mother was there. "You shouldn't be nervous. It doesn't really matter in the end anyway."  
"What's going on? How did I get here? What are you talking about?" Her mother just laughed.  
"Don't play dumb, Misty. I know better than that." She really wasn't playing. When Mermista didn't admit to knowing anything, her mother relented. "UGH, you ran here, y'know, because of the wedding?" Oh, she must've run here when she got overwhelmed by those weird memories. Maybe she really was just crazy. 

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Let- let's just get back to the planning." Marina raised an eyebrow.   
"Don't you mean get back to the wedding? Calder is probably waiting for the ceremony to start right now. What?! How the hell was the wedding ceremony today? This had to be some kind of joke, right? It was supposed to be three days from now! She wasn't ready for this! She looked down and somehow was in a different dress. Still a mermaid tail dress, but instead of a casual party dress it was very luxurious-looking black wedding dress. She recognized it as her favourite dress style, a scoop-neck mermaid WEDDING dress. She really wasn't kidding, this was her wedding day. Something was WRONG. How did she manage to forget the past three days?

Her mother decided to forcefully drag her by the arm back to the castle. She'd never been one to take it easy, and Mermista respected the hell out of her for it, but now was REALLY not the time. She needed to figure this out, she didn't have time to get married! Marina sensed her resistance and loosened her grip ever so slightly. "I meant what I said before, you can marry whoever you'd like, it's completely up to you. It's just a wedding." She sounded much different from her normal aggressive positivity. It was almost reassuring. She really wished it was just cold feet. That'd be much easier to get through.  
"UGGGGHHHH, I'll go through with the wedding." It'd be a good distraction.

Preparing for the ceremony wasn't too difficult. She already had her wedding dress on, so all that was left to do was her hair. A simple braided bun. It was a bit of a rushed job, so there were still some little curly wisps of hair loose, but like most things, Mermista pulled it off. She was only able to get out of her changing room when she heard the boring-ass violin music playing. She didn't remember choosing the bridesmaids, (their choosing must've been during the missing days) so everyone else participating in the ceremony were basically just faceless strangers. She was alone. Alone in the wedding, alone in this reality. Could it even be called a reality if it isn't real? 

Then the world glitched.

Reality just seemed to fall away. Next thing she knew, she was holding Calder's hands in front of a minister guy. Was she actually in the middle of the ceremony? Yup, she was definitely insane. "I do." he said, still looking smug as ever. Honestly, knowing Calder, he probably only married her to prove a point to some random dude at a bar. The minister was speaking, but she couldn't hear him. Everything was fuzzy. At this point, she recognized the feeling of an incoming memory. This one seemed different. The other ones were action-packed and intense. This one was actually... kind of nice. She was laughing uncontrollably as some guy was challenging this snobby jackass to a duel. She recognized the decor as the same background as the one at the dolphin social. The guy challenging him was vaguely familiar. Oh yeah, the hot pirate guy! He seemed to be in a lot of nice memories... 

Then she realized that everyone in the entire crowd of people in the wedding were looking at her expectantly. Everyone except her mom. They were waiting for her to say 'I do'. Up until now it didn't seem like such a big deal, just marrying someone so her parents retire. This was her life, and she wanted to be as happy. She wanted to marry someone who brought her as much laughter as that guy in her memories. Her life may never be perfect, but this reality wasn't as perfect as everyone kept saying it was.

"I DON'T!" The invitees-no-the audience let out everything from outraged gasps to approving sighs. Mermista promptly ran out. This isn't what she wants. She wants to... to...

To make her own perfection. And so she ripped off her wedding dress leaving her only in a cyan and dull yellow leotard she always wore under her clothing. She just wanted to swim to the bottom of the ocean and figure everything out, like she'd do whenever she had a seemingly unsolvable possible. But she underestimated how fast she was running and slammed headfirst into a bunch of crates. She couldn't even feel the pain, she was hyped up on so much adrenaline. "I'm so sorry, I should've paid more attention!" His voice sounded oddly familiar, like something out of a dream.

"Whatever, I was the one running." she muttered. Probably the closest she'd ever get to an apology. She managed to get a look at the stranger. He was super hot, if you took away the ridiculous... moustache. 

"Mermista?" Sea Hawk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here. I'll probably be able to update tomorrow. Tell me if you don't understand something. Thanks for reading <3.


	4. Riddled with imperfection.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista and Sea Hawk meet for the first time in the portal reality. This is mainly Mermista's inner monologue. In real time, this chapter probably only lasts less than a minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another post. I'm on a roll! About halfway to the end of the story. I may use a lot of ellipses... I just really love them.

As soon as she managed to get a good look at Sea Hawk, everything came rushing back. Her mother's death and father's retirement, the other princesses, the rebellion; all of it. Even with what seemed like all of her memories returned, it still didn't explain what happened. She was just guarding the salenian border, like she did every other day. Nothing particularly memorable happened recently. Well, except for Adora's kidnapping. Oh, yeah that was probably it. UGH, why did everything important have to be about her?! All she could hope is that maybe Sea Hawk could fill in at least some blanks. It was a long shot considering he wasn't really present in the rebellion for the past while. 

She couldn't fight the smile off her face when she saw him. He may be annoying as hell, but she couldn't deny that at this point in time, he was probably her favourite person. (Not that she'd ever admit it to him.) Mermista was fully prepared for him to go into one of his cheesy, romantic monologues. She just hoped it wasn't 3 hours long like the last time. 

"Oh, I mean princess Mermista!" He corrected himself and bowed deeply. 'What the hell is he being so formal for? Now is really not the time!' She thought privately. She'd normally say this out loud, but she didn't feel like insulting him right off the bat. He didn't come back up from the bow.  
"What are you doing? Stand up." He did so immediately. Why was he like this? She was already close to the shore so it didn't take too long to get seawater from the ocean onto his head using her hydrokinesis, effectively soaking him like she always did subconsciously when she was upset with him or overly excited. "Ah, Sorry Sea Hawk! I'm just really excited to see you." She wrapped her arms around him in the tightest hug she'd ever voluntarily initiated. Yeah, sure, he'd probably hold this against her for the next year or so, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. But Sea Hawk seemed to be... shrugging away from the embrace? That was definitely a new one. 

For as long as she knew him, Sea Hawk had always been the one to initiate the hugs (always with unspoken permission.) and never back away from them unless she did first. He'd be super tactile. Honestly, the only time he'd show any signs of discomfort with physical contact was with... strangers. That's when it hit her.

"You don't remember me, do you?" To them, they were strangers. Now that she really had the chance to think about this. Maybe she was the only one in the whole of Etheria that remembered, or maybe she was just remembering faster than others. Now that she thinks about it, no one at the wedding seemed to show any signs of confusion at all. Sea Hawk looked HELLA confused. I mean, wouldn't you be if a random princess ran into your crates, threw water on you via hydrokinesis and hugged you? His natural charisma started kicking in. 

"I think I'd remember a woman as beautiful as you~" Smooth.

Mermista scoffed at his blatant flirting. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" At this point, she was upset. She wanted HER Sea Hawk, not this phony version. She had to admit it was funny seeing him mentally running through any drunken one-night stands, which he admitted to having many of about a year into their meeting.  
"What do you mean by that? Shouldn't you be getting married right now?" He sounded concerned. That much was the same. Always caring about her, even when he didn't even know her. Reminds her of the first time they met in their reality. 

"He's a huge prick." That was all she had to say and he understood. Everything that's happening really caught up to her. What if she was never able to get back to her reality again? What if she was stuck here for the rest of her life, and she just screwed everything up? Mermista let out a broken sob. Sea Hawk, being the kind soul he is, silently put his arm around her. After about 35 minutes of uninterrupted crying, Sea Hawk went limp, his face going blank. 

"Don't worry 'Mista, I'm sure we'll be able to figure this out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that happened. Sorry. Please correct any grammatical errors. Constructive criticism is encouraged! Thanks for reading <3.


	5. A different kind of perfect.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sea Hawk and Mermista brainstorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update, I've been super busy and haven't had the time since I hosted thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy this chapter though.

Mermista's tears halted immediately. "Sea Hawk, you remember?" He smiled at her.  
"Indeed I do. And all of our ADVENTURES!" He said with such grandeur, she had no doubt in her mind that this was Sea Hawk. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she actually laughed.   
"Out of everyone in Salineas, it had to be you that remembered, huh?" She said, attempting to insult him. He only gave her a wider smile in return. She hugged him once again, this time he actually reciprocated. She had never been so comforted by anyone else in her life before. Mermista almost started crying again, but decided against it. For the sake of her already shattered pride, of course. 

Sea Hawk reluctantly broke out of the embrace. "So... hate to ruin the moment but-"

"There was no moment."

Sea Hawk sighed. "Hate to ruin the not-moment," He said with a roll of his eyes. "But what do you think... is happening? I've only been half-aware something was wrong for about three days. At least, I think it was three days. Do you have any idea what's happening." Great, so he has no idea what the hell is happening either! UGH!!! He read her mood how immediately. He always seemed to understand her.   
"So, you don't know either, huh?" He paused to think. "Well, why don't we... BRAINSTORM!" He said in the most enthusiastic voice he could muster.   
"Let's recap what we remember." Sea Hawk opened his mouth a little too wide for just talking. "NOT IN SHANTY FORM, SEA HAWK!" She shouted. He deflated just a bit.  
"I'll start, I guess..." 

Honestly, she wasn't too fond of the idea of talking about everything that had happened, but it was important. "At the beginning it was basically just... wedding planning." She said in such a small voice he could barely hear her. It didn't even occur to her until now that her almost getting married was so awkward. Especially since he was... more than a friend? Sea Hawk's face flushed red. Whether it was from embarrassment or anger, she couldn't tell.   
"And?" He said through gritted teeth. Definitely anger then.

"And then suddenly it was the actual wedding day." He looked confused, so she answered the unspoken question. "It was like a time skip. I was gradually remembering our reality, and then it was like, three days later in the blink of an eye. Literally. I was super confused, so I kinda, maybe... left Calder at the altar." She finished, feeling guilty about doing that for the first time since she left. Sea Hawk was not-so subtly stifling a laugh. "Then I saw you and... y'know." He wore a smug smile.   
"No, I don't know. Please, go on princess." 

"Insufferable," she muttered, with no real insult. "I saw you and ended up remembering everything, okay? Then it was... it was just a lot to take in." His eyebrows furrowed sympathetically. He changed the subject instantly.   
"Wait, you said OUR reality. Does that mean that this reality isn't real?" Mermista scoffed.  
"Obviously. This isn't a natural reality."

"Well, sorry, I've kinda been alone and on the sea this entire time. It was hard to figure out anything at all. The time skip thing makes sense though. My trip here was supposed to take three days, but got here in what felt like a few hours. It seemed impossible, and I guess I was right. The only thing strange was that my memories didn't line up right. It makes sense now that you say it." He paused again. He was actually really smart when he put effort into it.  
"So, by that reasoning, something is causing this reality to exist. Some sort of technology from Entrapta maybe? If we can track the source, we can stop whatever's happening. Or we could find a way to contact Adora. She always seems to be at the root of these things. Any idea where she might be?" Ah, right. He hadn't been around lately.

"She was kidnapped by The Horde." His mouth formed an 'o' shape. She knew he felt guilty for not being with the rebellion as of late. His father had just died in a mission gone wrong, and the responsibility of planning his funeral fell to him. He wasn't all that close with his dad, but he had to be there to support his mother. They've always had a great relationship with each other, and he couldn't bear letting her down.   
"So there's only one solution, we go to The Frightzone." He announced with his most dramatic pose.

"There's only one problem. In this reality, I think The Horde doesn't exist. At least not anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3.


	6. Shit, this ain't perfect, people!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sea Hawk is more knowledgeable than he seems, and he is as great as making plans of action as he is at arm wrestling!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom, chaos is here! (Just kidding, it's just another chapter of 'not perfect without you.', but at this point, they're practically synonymous.) Got another chapter, and I have to admit, I love this one. Have fun, kids! :3

Sea Hawk didn't seem disappointed by that statement. "Well of course they don't! I remember everything from this reality as well as ours, and the Horde doesn't exist. In a perfect world (which is what this reality is supposed to be replicating) it wouldn't exist. (I don't know what you mean by anymore, though...) But that doesn't mean the fright zone doesn't! Maybe Adora is there!" Mermista was surprised with how long he managed to take things seriously. But at the same time...

"We don't have the time to go all the way to the fright zone! I have an entire army coming after me right now!" Sea Hawk smiled.  
"That's not anything new Mermista, darling." He reminded her. It was true, between the Horde and her rebelliousness as a teenager, she always had an onslaught guards (from her kingdom or from the Horde) coming for her.  
"Yeah, but this time my mother's with them." Sea Hawk's face paled. Of course, like any sane being, he loved Mermista's mother. But also like any sane being, he was just as terrified of her. Her daughter inherited that trait from her. Lovable AND ferocious. 

"Noted. Besides, as much as I love our ADVENTURES! I don't plan on travelling the whole way there. But someone else could get a message from Adora back to us..." And, naturally, he threw breadcrumbs onto the pavement on which they were standing. Why would he even have that in the first place??? Does he just randomly have breadcrumbs lying around in his pockets in case he ever decides to throw them around? Is he just an avid duck feeder or something? Why would-? He then stood as still as a statue, actually deciding to shut his mouth for once?  
"Sea Hawk, what are you-"  
"SHHH!" 'Did he just... SHUSH ME?!' She thought, her rage stirring up. Not once since she'd known him had he ever told her to be quiet! She was preparing to yell at him, when the fattest seagull she'd ever seen came flying over to the breadcrumbs, and Sea Hawk looked ecstatic! Did he really just do that for the sake of feeding a bird?

That's when he decided to capture it; holding it by the neck. Okay, what the fuck?  
"SEBASTIAN HAWKS!!!" He almost dropped the bird in surprise. She'd almost never used his real name before, after their first meeting. He didn't exactly dislike his name, he was just always called Sea Hawk. It was like saying pepper & salt. It wasn't grammatically wrong, it just sounded awkward. It was a definite sign she was pissed. 

He just chuckled nervously in response, but still not making any move to drop the bird. What was he planning, and why did it have to involve this inelegant bird? Was he just fucking with her?  
"Aww-kaw! EEek KAw, Aaaawwwwwww, KAW!" He was speaking seagull! Of course. What better way to deliver a message to Adora than through seagull? They could hide from the people chasing after them without crossing salenian borders AND get a message to their friend at the fright zone. She made a note to herself to continue Sea Hawk's seagull lessons; it was obvious he was rusty. But, the seagull understood, obeying Sea Hawk and flying to the direction of the fright zone.

It was only after the seagull had flown a good 30 metres away that she remembered Adora didn't speak seagull. UGHHHHH!  
"I don't think that's our main issue right now Mermista." She sighed in agreement.  
"True. We could always find another seagull and give it like, a scroll or something to give to her,"

"Mermista-"

"I mean, there are plenty more breadcrumbs. Oh yeah, where did you even get those by the way? Do you just carry them around everywhere? Are they specifically for attracting seagulls, or do you just love crumbs? But in any case, you're right."

"Mermista!"

"Our main concern should be on stopping whatever's happening with this reality. UGH, it's just so exhausting! But you're right, I really shouldn't be complaining. Things could always be worse."

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT THEY COULD, MERMISTA! AND THEY JUST HAVE!" He directed his hand towards the seagull. Well, not the seagull. The seagull had disappeared, not leaving a trace of his previous presence. Instead, there was a pleasantly-coloured pink, uncaring void enveloping everything within swimming distance from the seagull, Mermista and Sea Hawk soon to be next.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?!" Was all she could think to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if I made a mistake, and any constructive criticism is more than welcome! Leave kudos or comments if you feel like it, and I'll try my best to respond as fast as I can. Thanks for reading <3.


	7. Perfect is a long while away.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a chapter from Sea Hawk's perspective! (With a little Mermista POV at the end) But still going with my trademark, enough internal monologue and dialogue to make up 48 fics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be action packed, so hold on to your hats! We're nearing the end here, but I will come back with more fics. More importantly, will we ever know why Sea Hawk has breadcrumbs in his pocket? Find out!

Sea Hawk would have rolled his eyes at her comment if it wasn't for the fact that their lives could possibly end in a matter of seconds. Emphasis on the 'probably'. They didn't necessarily know the weird pink thing was going to murder them! It may have engulfed a poor, innocent seagull that Sea Hawk happened to choke earlier that day, but that didn't mean it'd kill them, right? Of course, even he wouldn't do something as stupid and reckless as charging headfirst into it. Maybe throw in a stick or something? 

Regardless, it was kind of hard to run from as long as he kept pace with Mermista. She was fit, sure, but more in the way that she could probably do a bridal carry or something. He was always the faster one, by a lot. And of course, he's Sea Hawk! So, he'd never do something like running ahead of Mermista. Worst case scenario, he could give her a piggyback. They would end up running faster but his stamina would be easily drained. 

He attempted to stay positive, thinking through every positive scenario, but honestly, that was hard. He'd been downplaying it this entire time in order to comfort Mermista, but he was DRAINED. That entire time he'd spent on his boat was AGONY. Everything hurt, his memories were in utter turmoil, and he had this feeling of guilt in his chest without even knowing the cause. Everything felt wrong, and the half hour he'd spent watching Mermista cry was terrible for her, sure, but it made his mind feel like it was splitting in half in the most torturous way. He thought everything'd be worth it so long as he managed to get a message to Adora, but that plan went to hell as soon as the seagull had disappeared on the other side of the thing that just so happened to be chasing them. 

Today had just sucked, okay?

Mermista was panting, clearly utterly exhausted for running for so long. Piggyback it is, then. She protested weakly as he threw her over his shoulder like a potato sack, but they both silently agreed it was ultimately necessary. For the first time since hell decided to take a vacation on Etheria, luck seemed to shine on them in the form of a time skip. 

They seemed to be inside a cave for whatever reason. A perfect place to get trapped by the weird shit (tm) chasing them, so he carried Mermista out, only to realize he wasn't carrying her anymore. She came out of the cave shortly after, looking disgruntled. "Seems like we're in the clear. That... thing isn't even in our eye line." He turned around to look at her for what felt like only a second. In reality, it was probably for a solid minute or two. Could you blame him though? He was worried about her! It was just in his nature. She looked to be physically fine, but as good as she was at concealing her emotions, he could always read her. And of course, she felt awful. Both of them had the worst, most stressful day ever!

But then something strange happened. Her expression slowly turned from her usual irritable default to one of concern. She started squinting and eventually bind panic. She never wore her emotions on her face, so this had to be BAD. And he was right. "Sea Hawk... behind you." For once, he desperately hoped for it to be something unmemorable and NOT adventure worthy. But alas, he was wrong. Behind him was, you guessed it, the weird shit (tm). HOW FUCKING GREAT! Now coming in at a speed over double what they faced before. He instinctively grabbed Mermista with much more ferocity than before. All the positive thinking he'd been striving to focus on had been banished from his mind, replaced with a chanting in his head, 'you're going to die, you're going to die'. He was honesty grateful for it, it was the only thing keeping adrenaline coursing through him, the reason he was able to run at top speed with Mermista on his back.

"Sea Hawk!" For once, he pretended like she didn't exist, as she often did to him. "SEBASTIAN!" He still didn't respond, only charging forward even faster. She was holding him back, draining his stamina. She was dead weight. Mermista knew what she had to do. "Sea Hawk," She said, still with urgency, but more calm and reassuring. "Find Adora." He stopped for a few seconds, looking back at her. He knew what she planned to do. For once, she would be the selfless one in their relationship. Se let go of him, falling back onto the ground. She made no attempt to stand back up. She knew it was pointless. Sea Hawk halted immediately, tears pricking at his eyes. "MERMISTA N-" And the portal consumed her into it's unforgiving void. 

Sea Hawk would find Adora if it cost him his life, which he was almost certain it would. He would get Mermista back. And so he ventured on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, but I'm also not sorry at all? Anyway, thanks for all the support and lovely comments! Thanks for reading <3.


	8. Not perfect without you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sea Hawk tries to find Adora as Mermista requested. He didn't realize how simple it would be. He runs into someone else on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're finally at the end! I'm so glad so many people enjoyed this. I'm so grateful to you all, for sticking around even with my horrible writing.

Sea Hawk wasn't usually one to be crude but, FUUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK! Could you really blame him though? He had just lost his dearest Mermista. She hadn't come out of the pink thing, so that confirmed the theory that whatever went in that thing never came out. It was upsetting, of course, but he would take any information he could get at this point.

A thought went through his head he'd been trying to repress, as usual. What if this was just their new reality? What if they would never get back. What if Adora was just as clueless as he was? Or worse, what if she knew what was going on, but was already dead? Dead... that one word he'd been trying to avoid. Not sucked into a pink thing, but actually, genuinely, dead. He knew that he'd never be able to live in a reality where Mermista wasn't by his side. So, he kept running. Maybe if he ran long enough, he'd be lucky enough to forget. Go back to the blissfully ignorant memories of this reality. 

No, Sea Hawk knew why he was running, and it wasn't for something as selfish as that. He's running for the slim chance that he could help. Not just himself and Mermista, but everyone else that was trapped in this reality with them. But running in a random direction wasn't really helping his mission. But what else was he supposed to do? He didn't actually know her location, so all he could hope to do was outrun the thing enveloping the world, which was already hard enough to do on its own.

Hold up, that's it! It was enveloping the whole world. So, any sane person would be running away from the pink thing. So, if he ran away from it long enough, everyone still alive would meet up. The chances of one of them being someone who has details of Adora's kidnapping were relatively high, all things considered. And as a bonus, he could help any innocent civilian trying to run away. And the world glitched again. Great. Good news, he was outside salenian borders, so no swimming away from danger. As a bonus, he had a few moments of reprieve. 

This time though, someone slammed right into his face. His luck just seemed to keep getting better. He took a quick glance at the person who ran into him. She was a woman with long, blue hair and brown eyes that were all too familiar to Sea Hawk. The same ones he'd fawned over for years, maybe even a whole decade at this point. 'Mermista?' He thought, not daring to say it out loud, in fear of disappointment. As he took a closer look, he realized that it wasn't Mermista. It wasn't too much of a surprise, she was most likely dead, after all. But they did look strikingly similar.

It made sense, considering she was Mermista's mother.

Sea Hawk had met Marina a few times before she died. He had known Mermista for a while, even before her mother died. He thought she was really amazing. To say it was a shock to see her would be an understatement. He had held Mermista during her funeral after all. It didn't take too long for him to regain his composure, it never seemed to. It made sense that in a seemingly perfect reality she'd be alive.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going Mr.?" She looked at him expectantly. Right, in this reality, him and Mermista didn't know each other, so they wouldn't know each other either.  
"Sea Hawk." She looked cheery for some reason. He remembered she wasn't told about Mermista. She probably didn't even know what...killed her. He looked around, searching for the pink thing, to see if he had time to continue this conversation. It was nowhere in sight. He was still on edge, after what happened last time they thought they were in the clear...

"Mrs, I should tell you about what happened to your daughter. You probably haven't seen her" He paused for a moment. To him, it seemed like twenty minutes, but because of the two time jumps, it could've been weeks. So he finished with "a while." A perfectly vague answer. She looked borderline offended. It wasn't too unusual; being easily offended ran in the family, but it seemed to be completely unprovoked! She scoffed, eyebrows furrowing when she saw that he seemed to be completely clueless.

"I haven't been able to have a child in my life." What? 

"But what about Mermista?" She looked genuinely baffled. Oh god, what if anything consumed by the pink thing ceased to exist in this reality? That would mean if he failed to restore their reality, and he died, there would be no one who even knew Mermista existed. It would be all his fault. "Your daughter Mermista, the person you get along with most in the world?" He cried, more desperate this time. To his surprise, a spark of recognition flashed through her eyes. 

"Mermista? But I've never had a child... why does it sound so familiar?" He knew it wasn't the most important thing to do right now, but he couldn't help it. If he fixed their reality, then she'd disappear forever!  
"This reality isn't actually real. It's a simulation or something. Right now, there's a giant thing enclosing around the world. Mermista sacrificed herself to save me and possibly the world. I know it sounds unbelievable, but-" She cut him off.

"You're telling the truth. Go stop this Sea Hawk. Please, take care of my daughter." He nodded. He saw pink starting to creep up at the edge of his sight.  
"Try to save yourself, Marina." He said plainly.  
"Will it matter if I do?" She asked quietly.  
"No, it probably wouldn't." So she stood in the same place, bracing herself. He started to run again.

Fifteen minutes, one time skip, and a lost shoe later, he saw it. From about 50 feet away, he spotted Glimmer, Bow and Adora. Finally. They saw the pink thing, but seemed unbothered by it. They just continued talking. He saw just a little farther from them, there was a giant... thing. The source of this, probably. He smiled a little. They had it handled. He finally stopped running. Everything would be perfect. It didn't feel like anything while he got absorbed by the portal. 

And he was on a boat. Okay. Thanks to his amazing navigation skills, he was able to determine he was about a half an hour from the sea gate. Naturally, he kept sailing towards it. He was let in by Mermista's butler-guard guy after a minute or two of waiting. He was escorted to Mermista's room and immediately all his worries dissipated. Because on her bed, sat a very confused-looking Mermista.

"Sea Hawk?" She seemed so relieved.  
"Princess." He said with a small smile. They threw their arms around each other. This was the most her pride would allow. 

"Screw that stupid 'perfect reality'." She said with a chuckle.  
"Please, it was far from perfect." She looked up at him. "It's not perfect without you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roll credits! There's the conclusion to this story. Just wanted to give Mermista's mom a proper send-off. I'm part of like, seventy other fandoms, so I'll most certainly be writing more fics in the future. (BNHA, Sanders sides, Lucifer, etc.) So in case you enjoyed this one, keep a look out for those! Thanks for reading <3.


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